This invention relates to bed coverings for disposition on a mattress or the like.
Traditional bedclothes include bed sheets, one or more blankets and a bedspread which are separate sheets of fabric that are placed on a mattress. Making of the bed after each use requires that the bed coverings be rearranged and that margins of the sheets and blankets be tucked under edges of the mattress. The bedspread is draped over the rearranged bedding to give the bed a neat and attractive appearance. Making the traditional bed in this manner can be a somewhat time consuming and bothersome operation.
The traditional bed coverings are not securely held in place and can be easily disarranged by movements of a sleeping person or by activities which occur when the bed is not in use. Many persons do not sleep comfortably if the bed clothes have become disarranged. A bed can present an unattractive appearance if the bedclothes become disarrayed when the bed is not in use.
Bed coverings need to be washed or otherwise cleaned at frequent intervals and at times may be folded and put away for storage. Individual handling of separate sheets, blankets and bedspreads for these purposes complicates such operations.
The above discussed problems can be particularly pronounced in various specific situations. For example, the present invention was initially designed for use by truck drivers who make long distance hauls. Large trucks or big rigs which are used for this purpose frequently have a sleeping compartment or bunk built into the cab of the vehicle. Freight must usually be transported with a minimum of delay. Time spent making a bed after a period of sleep or rest detracts from this objective. It is highly important that the truck driver obtain an adequate amount of sleep and loose bed coverings may interfere with this.
A need for simplifying the making of beds and for resisting disarrangement of bed coverings is by no means confined to sleeping bunks in trucks. The problems discussed above are present in various other contexts ranging from military barracks to homeless shelters to penal institutions. As a practical matter these needs are also present in many modern households. Employed persons, students and others may not take the time to make their beds before leaving their homes. They must then make the bed when they arrive home or sleep in an unmade bed.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems discussed above.